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Parent-Teacher Conferences

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Parent-teacher meetings play a crucial role in building strong connections between home and school, helping us collaborate as partners in your child's educational experience. These conferences offer meaningful opportunities to learn about your child's classroom performance, social growth, and unique abilities. They also allow you to provide essential information about your child that enables us to better support their needs in school.

Your checklist for conferences

PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSIONS TO FACILITATE AT HOME SURROUNDING CONFERENCES

PRIOR TO THE MEETING

  • Discuss with your child how school is progressing and how they're doing in their classes. Encourage them to think of questions they'd like to ask their teacher, which you can address together.

THROUGHOUT THE MEETING

  • Begin with your most pressing concerns, as each conference session will have limited time. Teachers welcome requests for additional explanation or clarification when needed.

FOLLOWING THE MEETING

  • Review the conference outcomes with your child. Discuss what you both discovered and what information stood out to you.
  • Work with your child to create a plan of action to maintain positive achievement and address areas needing improvement.
  • Send a follow-up message via note, email, or call to express appreciation to the teacher and clarify any points from the discussion that need further explanation. Maintain regular communication with the teacher and feel free to arrange additional meetings as necessary.

Conference Resources

Reading Rockets: Tips for Successful Parent Teacher Conferences at Your Child's School. Find answers about parent-teacher conferences and discover how to prepare, including suggested discussion topics and questions. Reading Rockets is a nationwide public media literacy program providing information on children's reading development, common challenges, and how adults can offer support.

The Chicago Parent: The unlikely truth about parent-teacher conferences. If you feel anxious about an upcoming parent-teacher conference, remember that the teacher likely shares your nervousness. The Chicago Parent helps families discover local resources, guidance, stories, activities for children, and more.

Fatherly: 8 Common Phrases Teachers Say At Parent-Teacher Conferences, Explained. Educational terminology used during parent-teacher conferences can seem confusing. Attending even a single conference reveals how difficult it can be to decode professional jargon or determine appropriate responses. Fatherly aims to support men in raising successful children and achieving more satisfying lives through reliable parenting guidance and valuable insights into this demanding yet rewarding life phase.

Color In Colorado: Tips for Parents: Parent/Teacher Conferences. Explore information about parent-teacher conferences and learn how to use these meetings to pose questions that benefit your child. Color In Colorado is a dual-language resource for educators and families of English language learners.

Suggested Conference Questions

CAPABILITIES AND COMPETENCIES

  • What does my child do well in your class, and where could they improve?
  • Which competencies should my child develop in your course?
  • How does my child's performance compare to expected grade-level benchmarks?
  • What advanced learning opportunities exist for my child if they excel in this course?

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND ASSESSMENTS

  • How do you calculate grades in this course?
  • How is my child doing academically?

CLASSROOM CONDUCT AND PARTICIPATION

  • How would you describe my child's behavior in class?
  • How does my child relate to their peers?
  • How does my child approach their assignments? When do they excel? When do they need additional assistance?

HOME SUPPORT

  • What is the appropriate amount of time my child should dedicate to homework?
  • How can I best support my child's education at home?
  • What strategies can I use to help my child work on their own and manage time effectively?
  • What's the most effective method to communicate with you?
  • Which abilities are being cultivated in your class to prepare my child for future coursework?

Based on guidance materials from https://advocatesforchildren.org/